Emily Beckley is an artist based in Horn Island, Torres Strait, Queensland who belongs to the language groups Meriam Mir and Kala Lagaw Ya. Her art is often concerned with reviving and maintaining cultural practice from her Meriam Mer ancestry. Beckley has drawn on her experiences, stories and history of her culture from her parents from the Meriam – Samsep of Mer and Panai of Mabuiag to create works in metal as a way to connect the past to the future. According to Beckley, whilst the Torres Strait Islander art movement was famed for its warrior subject matter, her work was primarily concerned with showing a ‘softer, more romantic’ side of her culture.

IMAGE: Emily Beckley, Small sculptures and earrings, bronze. Gamu-Keub Keub Project, Photo Melinda Young